But this is not something new. In fact, throughout history adults have always complained about youths and their excessive behavior. 

In the media, young people are often accused of being vain ad obsessed with their clothing, spending too much money on Oat Milk Latte’s, and glued to social media.
But this is not something new. In fact, throughout history adults have always complained about youths and their excessive behavior.

When Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), was a young man, he was no different. By flaunting baggy clothes and a long, 1980s-like mullet in his neck, the 22-year-old apprentice rebelled against the older generation who wore tight-fitting black clothes, millstone collars, and short-cropped haircuts. Today, Rembrandt could easily pass off for a young man from Gen Z.

In this talk the Dutch-American historian and journalist, Benjamin Roberts addresses how young people have continuously taunted traditional conventions and blurred gender boundaries. In doing so, they helped change the way we perceive masculinity and femininity.

Benjamin Roberts is an historian, writer, and journalist based part of the year in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and the other part on the island of Paros, Greece. His fascination for Dutch history and culture started when he was sixteen years old during his first visit to the Netherlands.

Since then he studied at the Vrije University of Amsterdam (Bachelor’s and Master’s in History), and the University of Groningen (Ph.D in History of Educational Sciences). He later received a post-doc grant from the Vrije University of Amsterdam where he researched youth culture in the Dutch Golden Age.

It resulted in the academic work Sex and Drugs before Rock n’ Roll. Youth Culture and Masculinity during Holland’s Golden Age (AUP, 2013) and a popular version in Dutch Seks, Drugs en Rock ‘n’ Roll in de Gouden Eeuw (AUP, 2014), which was in the Dutch top ten for eight weeks. In 2018, the popular English version Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll in the Dutch Golden Age was published in the US.

His most recent book Forging an Empire: Fatherhood and Masculinity in the Dutch Golden Age, which addresses fatherhood and changing norms of masculinty during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, is forthcoming.

Besides historical works, he writes about art, culture, theater, history, and health for various English and Dutch magazines including XPO Magazine, The Holland Times, Amsterdam Magazine, Time Out Amsterdam, Het Hart van de stad, and Look & Feel Good!